Yak – a close one.

First,

Please everyone go back and watch the video again closly you will notice that it appears that Dan hit a Micro- Burst, causing the drop, If you listen to the video there is NO I repeat NO change of engine sound.

As for the FAA I’m sure they had a talk with Dan and probley had a better look at the display then the video is showing. Besides if the FAA thought Dan was performing recklessly then they would have stopped the show right then and their.

I think its safe to say that we should give Dan alittle le-way.

You say we should allow a little lee-way, but should the authorities?

What would you be saying if you did not know him?

I remember a story in my paper from a few years ago of a boy described by his family and friends as a talented motor cyclist; to others (apparently the silent majority) who had encountered him weaving down sunken country lanes at 60mph+ he was regarded as a risk taking idiot, so it will come as no surprise that he wrapped himself around a tractor at high speed.
One mans exhillarating pleasure is, occasionally, another mans sad news for the next of kin, coupled with the unhappy task for someone of trying to recover enough of the scattered remains to represent a body in the coffin.

Flood.™

Hi All,

First I know the pilot and he is a friend and, The pilot names is Dan McQeu and he is from York Maine.

Now for what I saw on the video it appears that Dan came out of the loop to high. He has been flying this performance for 20 years. Starting in with a NA-50 moving to a Yak-11, to the L-39 which he still does fly.

I think its safe to say that we should give Dan alittle le-way.

^I think just seeing (and hearing) these aircraft airborne is a privilage. Something that I hope future generations will be able to enjoy. If we lose them through wanting a dramatic and exciting display today (and the higher risk that entails) then very soon we will not have many Warbirds left. At the end of the day though, my main concern is for the well being of the crews and that of their families. No show is worth losing even one person. I know of at least two families that will be forever affected by the tragic accident last July. Unfortunately aviation has risks attached (just like the sea, mountaineering, sky-diving etc etc). So we have to do all we can to minimize those risks while still being able to enjoy the activity.

Good points Paul – it does rather ask the question of how many people in an airshow crowd actually think a ‘flat’ display is ‘boring’ ? These sites draw on the comments of enthusiasts – does the public really care about the type of flying as long as it’s safe and they enjoy the viewing the aircraft?

Did you not read my post? He wasn’t as low as he looked in the video. From his viewpoint he may well have pulled out completely normally and just thought hmmm bit lower than I expected, never mind, show goes on… etc.

Putting your nose in a ditch does not count as altitude.

MH

Personally I think that pilot experience should dictate how “vertical” and agressive a display routine should be for that season.

Season 1 should be pretty much straight and level flypasts if the pilot has only limited experience on a particular type of aircraft. Previous experience on similar types should of course be taken into consideration and maybe accelerate the progression (but any new type should always be treated with great respect from a pilot’s point of view).

As the hours on type increase then a more dramatic routine can start to be implemented built on a strong foundation of experience. It may be a little boring to watch for the first season or two, but we would at least know that this is going to improve each year, and the pilot would be a lot safer and more comfortable performing the display.

Very valid point regarding the fire which developed in Hurricane LF363 post
partial engine failure. However whilst the Hurricane was severely damaged she did live to fly again. I cannot think of many examples where a crash has occured during low level aerobatics where the machine has actually survived or indeed been rebuilt to fly.
The facts are that the video is the best evidence we have of the height of the Yak at the end of this manouver. It is clearly very low. The fact that he carried out the display on the next day with a higher exit height from the manouver does tend to indicate that he either realised that he nearly killed himself or other people told him the same.

[QUOTE=DamienB]
{I enjoy the BBMF and more dynamic routines from similar types equally as I’m just happy to hear a Merlin roaring round the sky but it does not surprise me or strike me as strange that others prefer a more entertaining high energy display. As for the BBMF having done it for 35 years with no loss – well I do recall a certain Hurricane needing a bit of work after a nasty fire! And no aeros involved at all that time.}

So if that’s the case why have you brought it up in this thread!!!

One thing that BBMF is not and that’s boring ( hundreds of shows a year will vouch for that)

Did you not read my post? He wasn’t as low as he looked in the video. From his viewpoint he may well have pulled out completely normally and just thought hmmm bit lower than I expected, never mind, show goes on… etc.

Damien ,how far down is the drop then on the airfield,if it’s less than 100 feet it is STILL far too low.I can’t see a 100 foot drop between ramp and Runway?.

Did you not read my post? He wasn’t as low as he looked in the video. From his viewpoint he may well have pulled out completely normally and just thought hmmm bit lower than I expected, never mind, show goes on… etc.

I read your post Damien but I will say that I have never seen any warbird come out of the bottom of a loop with that much AOA and still sinking. I don’t think anybody would classify that as a normal pull out.

Because of the onset of shock. After a near miss like that, its time to climb to a safe height, compose yourself, and land.

If that had happened at a display here he would almost certainly have been called in right away by the flying control committee.

MH

Given that particularly important fact he may actually have pulled no harder than normal to recover from the loop so why should he not have continued his display as normal?

Because of the onset of shock. After a near miss like that, its time to climb to a safe height, compose yourself, and land.

Interesting pictures. However all these events do is put a nail in the coffin of air displays. The authorities love nothing better than the opportunity to legislate against this type of flying. It could well have been a simple mistake in setting the altimeter – however we are talking expensive machines here that need to be flown well . Whilst I don’t disagree that aerobatics are entertaining – crashes are quite the opposite and we have seen too many
historic aircraft lost in aerobatic manouvers.

Its so low, it looks like Ray Hanna could have been flying the Yak !!!!!

It would be nice to have the chance to hear the pilots comments on the event. The more I look at it and the like, the more I think that the pilot was very lucky and the roll afterwards was probably, as sugguested on here somewhere earlier, a “pre-programmed” part of the sequence. I should think (or at least hope) the pilot views what happened here as one of those “I learnt about flying from that!” moments.

and the margin between him and the ground was greater than that seen in the video because the ground falls away between the ramp and runway. Given that particularly important fact he may actually have pulled no harder than normal to recover from the loop so why should he not have continued his display as normal?

Even so he still left far to little ,if any room for manouvre or error,well at least he lived to be able to correctly fly the manouvre the next day. 🙂

Actually a few people I know refer to them as ‘The Battle of Boring’ for that very reason. And I notice their routines late last season and in practices for this year’s season are much more dynamic.

Well we all have our stranger collection of friends Damien!

Boring (not IMHO) – but still here 30+ years later! – The proof is in the pudding.

certainly a bit more dynamic but not vertical- indeed they opened the Sunday show at the last FL and a few derrys were inluded along with the customary barrel roll.

I agree with your comments about low level aeros,but it is mainly a pilot problem.I was there for the P38, and it was a gentle manouvre until something went wrong,it was a horizontal manouvre as well,not vertical such as the p63,f/fire and the Yak.
As for Stephen Greys display i had’nt seen it but maybe he is counting his blessings as well. 😮

Im was counting his blessings for him at one of the legends shows whilst flying his ‘joker’ routine in the Bearcat.. Beutiful and un forgettable display but the High powered vertical dives over the airfield ( about 10 ) had me a little frightened 😮 Athough very entertaining ( thats the point of doing it ) In my opinion is ‘asking for it’ ..
I think my point has been made so will leave the subject alone now… been good to hear the different opinions

There is a good case for putting a 500′ floor on aeros by a/c such as this. The ‘new’ aero specific types do well and accident free with a lower floor.

G’day 😉